Perchance (18 page)

             
Me:
Ok, ok, ok. No, it’s fine.  Just you and me.

             
Cooper:
Always

             
There was a knock later on and Aunt Brenda wanted to know if Cooper wanted to eat lunch with us after church but before our trip.  I texted him but he didn’t answer.  He must’ve been asleep
.

             
I texted Josie and she said she and Troy had had a fight because he was acting like a chauvinist pig.  She said she would be fine and he would be crawling back soon.  That girl was a firecracker for sure.  She told me to enjoy my alone time with Cooper.

             
The next morning I woke up and got dressed for church.  I was almost shaking I was so nervous.  Aunt Brenda took one look at me and said, “What’s the matter Remi?”

             
She felt my head and patted my glands and made me show her my throat.  Then she stopped and just smiled at me.

             
“Don’t start.  I’m just nervous.  It’s…well…it’s my first date.
”

             
“I thought we were calling it a group date, so it doesn’t count.”

             
“That was until last night when he texted me saying that Josie and Troy were out.  They’re fighting or something.”

             
She hugged me and I was getting used to being hugged by her all the time. 

             
“It’s gonna be fine Remi.  Cooper is a nice young man.  Just be yourself.”

             
“Ugh…can we just go to church now?” I was whining, but I didn’t care.

             
Church went fast and we were out by ten.  Cooper and his Dad weren’t there and Josie kept turning around and giving Troy dirty looks.  Then she would turn and smile at me.  It was so funny that even Aunt Brenda was laughing. 

             
We went home an
d I skipped eating and went to get ready.  I put on some cut off shorts and a purple tank top and some tennis shoes.  I packed a backpack with a towel, extra clothes and some bug spray. 

             
I went to wait in the living room but he was already there and Aunt Brenda and he were talking about school.

             
“Ready?” I said, sounding perkier than normal. 

             
“Yeah, I was just telling your aunt that I didn’t see the text last night or I would’ve come to lunch.  I spent the morning getting some stuff ready and Eric is working overtime.”

             
“Ahhh…ok, let’s go.”

             
We walked out and I saw Eric’s truck instead of the Cuda.  I poked my bottom lip out as far as it would go and stared at him. He was still walking and then stopped, realizing that I wasn’t any more.

             
“Come on Rem…oh no you are not pouting because of the truck, are you?”

             
He walked up to me like a man on a mission and leaned down close and spoke softly.  “We’re riding in the truck because it’s safer and if you don’t put that lip back where it belongs I will kiss you right here in front of your aunt.”

             
“You wouldn’t dare!”

             
“Try me
,
Pistol.”

             
“Ok, ok, I’m getting in the truck.”

             
We drove the forty five minutes to Tunica Hills.  Cooper had to use the GPS on his phone to find it since we didn’t have Troy or Josie to guide us.
My nerves were working overtime and my face felt like it was on fire.
We parked in the parking area and pulled out our backpacks.  It looked interesting. 

             
“What’s going on with you? You didn’t say a word on the way.”

             
I let out a breath that I had been holding all the way up there.

             
“It’s so embarrassing but I’m just nervous.  I haven’t dated that much before.”

             
“Ok, define much.”

             
I just gave him a look that said, ‘don’t make me say it.’

             
“Oh, man, I’m such a jerk.”

             
I looked at him like he had lost his marbles.

             
“
How can that be? You haven’t ever… I mean no guy has ever asked…
”I nodded
because his assumption was right
. “And I took you to get dirty and slosh through waterfalls.”
He threw his hands in the air and let them slap his sides.

             
“How were you supposed to know?  Anyway,
waterfalls and…” I patted his backpack, “a picnic dinner, I’m assuming, plus you, I mean really what girl could ask for more?”

             
“
You deserve more.
”

             
“Boooooo!! I don’t like pouty Cooper. Come on.” I grabbed him by the hand and
led him towards the first trail.

             
We walked up the hills and down the sides.  There were caverns and Cooper had me climb down into one so he could take a picture of me.  We saw a waterfall and he climbed up on top and I took some pictures of him being goofy.  We climbed and crawled and hiked for about two hours.  I hadn’t eaten all day and I pulled my water out of my bag and downed it in one pull. 

             
Cooper was full of energy and it was good to be with him away from school.  I thought I would be nervous all day, but after about thirty minutes I was good. 

             
We stopped at a tree which overlooked a tiny waterfall.  But he wasn’t looking at the waterfall.  He was looking at me.  I cocked my head sideways at him and he took a few steps towards me. 
My heart dropped to my stomach and I was nervous all over again.  We had already kissed.  What was I nervous about?  He put
his arms around my waist and my
hands somehow naturally went to his pecs.  He bent down and first he kissed the side of my neck right below my
ear and I sucked in a breath through my teeth.  Then he moved
to my lips, he kissed me tenderly
but quickly.  And I kept my eyes closed a few seconds longer just to hold on to the moment.  I opened them and he was smiling down at me. 
He grabbed my hand and we continued on.

             
We walked a little farther and he stopped.

             
“Hey, wanna go eat?” He asked as he held out his hand for me to climb down to where he was.

             
“Yeah, I’m starved.”

             
We ate at
a picnic table
and then continued to hike
until it looked like it was going to get dark and then we made our way back to the truck.  Aunt Brenda texted me that she would be gone when I got home.  She was going to some kind of scrapbooking meeting at church. 

             
“Aunt Brenda is going to some late night scrapbooking thing at church.” I said.

             
“Ok, but it’s Sunday.  You have to get home.”

             
“I know.  That doesn’t mean I want to.”

             
He reached over and
moved that bulky center console thing up and patted the seat next to him. 

             
I moved over to the center and he put his arm around me.
  We talked for a few minutes as we made our way out of Mississippi
.  I found out that he really wanted to be an engineer and I told him about how geeky I was for loving history and wanted to be a history teacher.

             
“You’re the most beautiful geek I’ve ever seen.  That’s for sure.”

             
He laughed and leaned on his shoulder as he drove.  He smelled so good, even after hiking all day. 
I couldn’t put my finger on it but it reminded me of cedar or oak.  He started rubbing my other arm and his iPod was playing some kind of song that kept saying Black Water.  And then I drifted off.

             
What I really wanted to do was stop the truck right here off the side of the road and just bask in the scenario that I was in.  She was curled up under my arm, her head was turned towards me and sometime during the drive she had fallen asleep.  Then
s
he stirred in her sleep and put her hand on my thigh and I almost drove off of the road. 
We were almost back to her house and my brain knew that she needed to go home and get some real sleep before school tomorrow.  But it was my heart that was having a hard time letting her go.  I didn’t ever want to leave the cab of this truck.  I hugged her to me as we pulled into her driveway.  I killed the engine and just looked at her for a good ten minutes before she started to wake up. 

             
“Hey” I smiled at her and reluctantly let her go so she could stretch.

             
“Hey, are we home?” She said as she yawned.

             
“Yeah, I was just letting you sleep a little bit longer and then I was going to wake you up.”

             
“Oh, I slept the whole way home? I suck as a date, huh?”

             
“Nope, you are the best date ever.  Go inside and I’ll bring your stuff, ok?”

             
“Ok, thanks.”

             
I got her stuff while she opened her front door and she waited on the porch for me stretching again.  She was tired and her hair was messed up and s
he had dirt on her shoes
but there on that stoop under that porch light she was so incredibly beautiful.  And I didn’t just want to date her, or have her as a girlfriend.  This was so much more.  I wanted her for the rest of my life.  But those kind of things I was going to have to keep under wraps until she was ready.  I didn’t want her to run, thinking that I was like her Dad, or my Dad even.  But I wasn’t.  I was never going to give up on her and I was never letting her go.

             
“You gonna stand there all night ogling me?” She laughed.  Oh, if she only knew.

             
“
I guess not.” I walked up to her and put her bag inside of the front door.

             
“I’ll see you tomorrow Cooper.  I had a really great time with you. It’s gonna sound awful but I’m kinda glad Troy and Josie didn’t come.”

             
“No it doesn’t.  I’m glad they didn’t come.” I felt like I needed to put it all out on t
he table. But I was still scared to death of freaking her out. 

             
“Look, I need to tell you something Rem. And I don’t want you to answer.  I don’t want you to say anything back to me or think that I expect you to respond because I don’t.”

             
She got wide eyed but I couldn’t help myself.

             
I reached out and hesitated just a second and then put my hands on her face.  My fingers naturally went into the hairs at the nape of her neck and she whimpered the tiniest bit.

             
“I’m falling in love with you Remi.  I know it’s fast and I know we’ve only known each other a couple of weeks, but I know.  I’m not pushing you into anything or asking you for anything but to listen to me and believe me.”